Refrigerating cooling unit



Patented a. 20, 1936 2,057,666

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,057,666 REFRIGERATING COOLING UNIT Russell 11. Bird, Detroit, Mich.

Application February 13, 1935, Serial No. 6,329

Claims. (01. 62-101) This invention reates to a cooling unit and is tion and description together with the cabinet acontinuation in part of my former patent appliwith which it is to be used, it being especially cation Serial No. 723,765, filed May 3, 1934. adapted for vending machine cabinet construc- The object of my invention is to produce a retion, although it may be used with any other 5 frigerating unit especially adapted for mertype of cabinet having separated compartments, 5 chandise vending machines requiring temperaequally as well, and while I herein illustrate my ture regulation for preserving the various kinds cooling unit as applied to a single merchandise of goods sold therein. compartment, it is to be understood that various Another object is to produce a special coolcooling unit coils maybe extended from the same ing unit that will operate automaticaly for mainliquid container tank and to difierent mer- 10 taining a constant temperature within an. adjachandise compartments, each being regulated to cent mechandise compartment. any desired temperature through the inclosed A further object is to produce a refrigerating thermostatic bellows valve. unit that will function by a liquid circulating In general, my device comprises a cooling medium, controlled by a connected thermostatic compartment positioned above a merchandise 15 bellows valve, and without other external mecompartment, preferably formed of heat insuchanical means. lating walls, the two compartments being sepa- A still further object is to produce an automatic rated from each other. The upper cooling comcooling unit that is simple in construction, easily partment being suitable for retaining ice thereand efficiently operated, and that can be manuin, and is provided with a liquid tank mounted 20 factured at a very low cost. on the compartment bottom, said tank being These several objects are attained in the preconnected with circulating cooling pipes mountferred form by the construction and arrangeed in the lower merchandise compartment, so

ment of parts more fully hereinafterset forth. arranged as to cause a circulation of inclosed 5 Similar parts on all drawings are marked by liquid through the coils and back to the tank,

similar numerals or letters, controlled by a connected thermostatic valve.

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a I will now describe more fully the detailed concahinet inclosure, taken just inside the back cabistruction of my device, referring to the drawings net wall as indicated on the line shown in and the marks thereon.

the Fig. 2, showing the installation of my cool- The cabinet I is preferably formed with a lower 30 ing unit mounted therein. merchandise compartment A and an upper re- Fig. 2 is also a vertical sectional view taken frigerating compartment B, said compartments through the cabinet centerline as on line 2-2 being separated but made as a single complete of the Fig. 1, showing the spiral cooling coil and structure. All of the cabinet walls being made the operating parts of the controlling thermoof suitable heat insulating material and of 35 static belows valve, the ordinary refrigerator construction, prefer- Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail in cross section of ably a illustrated Figsd 5 0 t the thermostatic bellows, showingthe general drawings- The refrigerator c p m B 15 construction thereof, preferably lined with suitable rust-proof sheet Fig 4 i cross sectional View through t Gabilining a, and is provided with a thin sheet metal 40 n t t k n th li 4....4 of Fig 2, t from liquid container tank 2, closed, fitted and mounted the front of the cabinet, showing the spiral cool- Within the Compartment bottom, the liquid tank ing coil as mounted in the top of the merchandise preferably being mad f luminum ll y, or chamber compartment, and its connecting means other metal having high heat conductivity. It is to the thermostatic bellows valve. desirable to have the refrigerator compartment 45 Fig. 5 is also a cross sectionalview through the bottom formed of a separated insulated wall seccabinet cooling compartment, taken on the line tion 3, beveled and fitted within the cabinet struc- 5--5 of the Fig. 2, but from the front of the cablture as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 0f the dr w net, showing the liquid retainer tank and valved -for convenience in installing, removing or replacetube connecting the spiral cooling coil to the ing the cooling unit within the cabinet compartliquid container tank. ments. The bevel wall joints may be made as Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view through the tight and as secure as a solid structure, but afair check valve taken on the line 6-6 of Fig.,5, fords means of displacing the assembled cooling showing the operating valve parts. unit without dis-assembling same. Through the My device can best be understood by illustrabottom cabinet wall 3 is mounted a vertical out- 55 let pipe 4, extended downward into the merchandise compartment A. The upper end of the 'outlet pipe is mounted on the bottom of the liquid slightly above the casing chamber center, said thermostatic bellows being attached to both plunger and easing walls, designed to expand and contract with the temperature variations and displace the attached plunger 6 therewith. Any standard type of thermostatic bellows providing substantial expansion, may be used, the exact type not being material to my invention. An enlarged detail cross-sectional view through the bellows showing its general structure is shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, to illustrate the heat expanding element mounted therein. Connected to one side of the valve casing 5 is a circulating cooling pipe 8, formed in a spiral shape encircling the connected valve casing and opening therein above the plunger top. The coils of the spiral pipe are inclined upward leading toward the outer coil end, using as many coil turns as may be necessary to secure the required pipe radiation for the merchandise compartment A in which it is to be used. The outer end of the spiral cooling coil 8 is positioned near the cabinet base section 3 and carries attached thereto a small liquid circulating tube 9 of a considerable reduced diameter. The tube 9 is passed through the base wall 3 and into the refrigerator compartment B to a position near the chamber top, the top tube end being curved at approximately right angles and carries mounted thereon a combination air and check valve I 0. An extension tube l I, of the same size of the circulating tube 9, is mounted on the opposite side or the check valve Ill, said tube being curved downward and connected to the liquid container tank 2 through the tank top wall, and opening therein, completing the liquid circulating line from the tank bottom through the thermostatic bellows, cooling coil, through the tubes and check valve back to the tank container. Thecheck valve In is provided with a small air vent hole I! formed through the top closing cap to prevent a vacuum within the system,'and with the tube openings for the pipes 9 and III positioned directly 'opposite each other. A small cork ball valve I3 is placed inside the valve casing, designed andpositioned to engage the tube wall openings when lowered to that position, thus closing the tube liquid passage, or if the ball valve be raised within the valve casing by the flow of liquid therein by the rising of the thermostatic plunger 8, the 'ball valve l3 may engage and close the air vent l2 in the casing top. The valve being principally designed to prevent leaking of the circulating liquid should the cooling element section be removed from the cabinet, and also provides a reserve liquid chamber tor any surplus liquid in the circulating system should the thermostatic controlled plunger 6 be raised too high. The air vent l2 prevents vacuum within the pipe line and provides an even flow of the liquid therethrough.

In operating my refrigerating cooling unit, the

liquid container tank 2 and the connected. circulating pipes should be filled with a non-freeze liquid, and to a level below the side ports ll of the check valve II] when the proper desired temperature within the merchandise compartment A is attained, the refrigerator compartment B being filled with ice, or dry ice. It is known that cold liquids settle toward the bottom or flow downward within the containing walls, and that the warmer liquids flow upwards toward the top of the container. The ice compartment 13 containing the liquid container tank 2 cools the liquid therein rapidly, the same settling within the cooling coil 8 in the adjacent merchandise compartment A, lowering the temperature in that compartment. When the temperature within the merchandise compartment A raises to a matically expands raising the plunger 6, and raises the liquid level within the check valve I0 causing same to overflow through the valve casing, and close or fill the circulating system and allow circulation to re-establish therein, the warm liquid from the chamber A rising through the tubes 9 and the cooled liquid within the tank I 2 settling into the spiral cooling coil 8 for cooling the compartment A to the desired temperature. When the desired compartment temperature is reached, the thermostatic bellows Iv will have contracted sufliciently. to have lowered the plunger 6 and circulating liquid within the check valve l0 below the valve wall ports I 4, and automatically stop the circulation. The desired temperature may be regulated for the merchandise compartment A, either by mechanical adjustment as is usually provided for the thermostatic unit, or by varying the height of the circulating liquid within the check valve chamber for causing the liquid to overflow the valve ports It at the desired temperature, re-establishing the circulation ,within the cooling system.

While I have illustrated my invention by a single coil cooling unit as applied to a single compartment chamber, it is to be understood that as many coils 8 as may be desired may be extended from the same liquid container tank 2, and these coils may be placed in different chambers and regulated to difierent desired temperatures independently of each other through the thermostatic controlled plunger valve, each circulating system being applied to the tank 2 separately.

Having fully described my refrigerating cooling unit, what I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A refrigerating unit adapted for cooling an adjacent merchandise compartment and used in combination therewith, comprising an ice chamber compartment formed of suitable heat retaining walls and mounted above the merchandise compartment, a closed liquid container mounted in the bottom of the ice compartment, a liquid outlet pipe mounted in the bottom of said liquid container and projected through the bottom compartment wall into the adjacent merchandise compartment, liquid circulating cooling pipes mounted within the merchandise compartment pipe passage, and in a manner to change the pipe volume capacity as the surrounding temperature is varied, and a tube mounted on the opposite end of said circulating cooling pipe for connecting same to the topside of the .closed liquid container.

2. A refrigerating unit adapted for cooling on 15 higher degree, the thermostaticbellows 1 auto- I adjacent merchandise compartment and used in combination therewith, comprising an ice chamber compartment formed of some suitable heat resisting walls and mounted above the merchandise compartment, but separated therefrom, a closed liquid container mounted within the bottom of said ice compartment, a liquid outlet pipe mounted on the bottom side of the liquid container and projected through the bottom compartment wall into the adjacent merchandise compartment, a spiral pipe cooling coil having one end mounted on the bottom end of said outlet pipe and opening therein, a thermostatic bellows expansion unit mounted within thesaid spiral pipe cooling coil passage, and in a manner to change the inclosing pipe volume capacity as the surrounding temperature is varied, said spiral cooling coil having its opposite end connected by a curved tube to the top of the liquid container in a ,manner for circulating liquid therefrom through the connected cooling coil.

3. A refrigerating unit adapted for cooling an adjacent merchandise compartment and used in combination therewith, comprising a cooled chamber compartment formed of.suitable heat insulated walls and mounted above an adjacent merchandise compartment, but separated therefrom, a closed metal liquid container mounted within the bottom or the ice compartment, a liquid outlet pipe mounted in the bottom of said liquid container, opening therein and projected through the bottom compartment wall into the adjacent merchandise compartment, a cylindrical valve chamber mounted on the bottom of said outlet pipe, a plunger slidably mounted within said cylindrical valve chamber and provided with a thermostatic bellows for actuating same, said bellows being connected to the plunger and casing end wall, a spiral pipe cooling coil having one end connected to the cylindrical valve chamber and opening therein, said coil having its opposite end connected by a curved tube to the top of the liquid container and opening therein in a manner for causing liquid circulation therethrough when liquid container mounted within the bottom of the ice compartment completely covering the compartment bottom, an outlet pipe mounted on the bottom of said liquidcontainer, opening therein and projected through the bottom ice compartment wall into the merchandise compartment, a cylindrical valve casing mounted on the bottom end of said outlet pipe, a plunger slidably mounted within the valve casing and provided with a thermostatic bellows for actuating same, said bellows being connected to the plunger and to the casing end, a spiral pipe cooling coil mounted within the top of the merchandise compartment and having its inner end connected to the cylindrical valve casing and opening therein above the plunger, said spiral coil being positioned with its pipe coils inclined upward leading toward the outer end thereof, said outer spiral coil end being connected by a curved tube to the top side of the liquid container, said curved tube being extended above the container top wall.

5. A refrigerating unit adapted for cooling an adjacent merchandise compartment and used therein with a non-freezable liquid, comprising a cooled chamber compartment formed of suitable heat insulating walls and provided with a door opening'therein sald cooled compartment being mounted above an adjacent merchandise compartment but separated therefrom, a closed metal liquid container mounted within the cooled compartment bottom, a liquid outlet pipe mounted on the bottom of the liquid container. opening therein and projected through the bottom compartment wall into the adjacent merchandise compartment, a cylindrical valve casing mounted on the bottom of said outlet pipe, a plunger slidably mounted within the valve casing and provided with a thermostatic bellows for actuating same, a spiral pipe cooling coil mounted within the top of the merchandise compartment and having its inner end connected to the cylindrical valve casing above the inciosed plunger; and opening therein, said spiral coil being positioned with its pipe coils inclining upward toward the outer coils thereof, the outer end of said coil being connected by a curved tube to the top side of the liquid container and opening therein, said curved tube being extended above the container top and is provided with an air check valve positioned at the top of the tube curved section, designed to circulate liquid therethrough at certain temperatmes when the liquid container and pipes are filled with a non-freeze liquid.

' RUSSELL H. BIRD. 

